Star Wars Galaxy's Edge and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run both received Themed Entertainment Association awards in the 26th annual slate of TEA Thea Awards recipients announced yesterday.
According to TEA "Bringing to life one of the most iconic experiences in pop culture, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run immerses guests into an intimate, story-driven, guest-driven adventure unique in theme park history. The experience combines numerous bleeding-edge technologies seamlessly and invisibly, from the innovative “multi-carousel” loading system that provides an individualized experience while supporting throughput of 1,800 guests per hour; to interactive controls and interfaces that stimulate repeat ridership; to spatial audio and in-cabin lighting effects; to the bespoke, ultra-high-resolution game engine. All work together to complete the illusion of piloting one of the most famous spaceships in all of movie history. The vehicle is screen-accurate in every detail inside and out, and the view from the cockpit presents cinema-quality, real-time visuals. The Thea Awards Committee commends Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run as a crowning Disney achievement."
And for the land itself TEA said "The TEA Thea Awards Committee considers Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge to be the most ambitious addition to Disneyland in more than 60 years; a groundbreaking new land that invites guests into a new chapter of the Star Wars saga - and in which the guest is the star. We’ve never seen a theme park land like this before and it just might change how we create them in the future."
Other recipients included Universal Orlando for its Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
The awards will be formally awarded April 18, 2020 at the 26th annual TEA Thea Awards Gala in Anaheim.
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